


Memories Of You

by mon-amour-eternel (dottie_wan_kenobi)



Series: kc drabbles [14]
Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Dream World, F/M, Family Issues, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Kinda, Klaus isn't actually in this but whatever, POV Kol Mikaelson, Pining Klaus Mikaelson, Protective Siblings, Ripper Stefan Salvatore, Siblings, implied bisexuality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-17 21:17:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10602414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dottie_wan_kenobi/pseuds/mon-amour-eternel
Summary: While in the dream world, Kol and his siblings get visited by Nik's memories (Henrik, Stefan, Ansel, Caroline).





	

**Author's Note:**

> I love you, Kol.

Much like in that one movie -- Inception, Kol believed; he never saw it but he’d wanted to before he was killed -- the dream world was Freya’s. The house was hers, the clothes were hers; basically, the entire thing was the figment of Freya’s imagination. What was not Freya’s, however, was their visitors -- those were Nik’s.

Yes, visitors. Kol was strongly against interacting with them. Rebekah wanted to talk to them and get some insight into their brother’s mind. Elijah and Freya were more case-by-case.

Take Henrik, for example.

Henrik was their baby brother, dressed as he was in his childhood, giving all but Freya memories they’d lost long ago. He ran around, giggling, playing tricks they never saw the conclusion of. It was devastating, seeing him again, seeing him so happy. The last time Kol had laid eyes on his brother was when he was dead, silent and frowning. If Kol’s heart was anything but black and icy, the sight would’ve broken it.

Despite that, Rebekah was desperate to talk to him. Freya was too scared, Elijah too mournful, and Kol too conflicted. They tiptoed around him, mainly, watching from afar and biting off calls of his name.

Once, Freya stood in his way and spoke to him, saying things Kol purposefully didn’t hear. He didn’t want to hear Henrik’s voice, didn’t want to be reminded of what he’d lost. Rebekah tried to talk to the boy once, tried to hold a conversation, but ended up in the same mindframe as Kol.

It was better to just ignore Henrik, just let him roam and pretend he wasn’t there. Watch but not interact.

Stefan, their first visitor, was a similar story -- it was easier to ignore him. After they saw him the first time, it was just accepted that they would have limited interactions with him.

The very first day, they were settling, choosing rooms and chores. Kol was just begging for anything but the loft when a moan came from outside the kitchen. He ended up banging his hip into the counter trying to get to the intruder (who he was sure was a threat -- his own demons were far from friendly).

He’d expected Dahlia, maybe an unrecognizable person from Freya’s mind. See, that was before they realized they weren’t just linked to Nik’s life, but his mind, too.

What he saw was Stefan Salvatore, hair different than Kol remembered, shirtless, licking his lips and sucking on his fingers. Blood covered his chest, his arms, his hands. In the dream world, they weren’t hungry for blood, but that didn’t make it any less appealing.

He looked through Kol and his siblings, past them to someone they couldn’t see. With a laugh, Stefan said, “oh, I know. A little pressure and...pop. Decapitated, just like that! It’s no fun when they aren’t struggling.”

He seemed to listen to something, then smirked devilishly. He dragged his fingers on the wall, coming closer, leaving phantom trails of blood. “Klaus, that’s not nice. You know I don’t do that to her. Rebekah is a force of nature -- no way I could control her.”

At that, Elijah’s and Rebekah’s faces darkened. Freya looked confused; Kol was mostly wondering why Freya was dreaming of Stefan when they’d never met (and also partially thinking about Stefan’s toned chest, dripping blood like that. Yum.), or at least why she was dreaming of a Stefan talking to Nik. It didn’t make sense.

Stefan, ignorant of Kol’s thoughts, stepped up to just in front of the little group, giving serious sex eyes. He vanished before he could say anything (and much to Kol’s relief. He really did not need to see anything that was sexual and involved Nik. No siree, he didn’t).

The only other times they’d seen him were when they were outside. He often stood leaning up against trees, talking to thin air, eyes dark and, somehow, always cleaning blood off of himself. Apparently, he was a bit of a messy eater.

Elijah was not interested in talking to Stefan. Freya was unsure but she’d never tried, so Kol thought she was against it, too. Rebekah tried, once, but he’d just said, “we can talk later, Rebekah, I’m spending some time with Klaus right now.”

Kol thought the baby vampire was interesting, but not enough that he wanted to talk to him.

Ansel was a bit of a different story, for all four of them. Even Kol was tempted to talk to the man.

Ansel was a big man, with Native American features (though he seemed to be mixed, half Native half white) and a calm presence. Sometimes, when they saw him sitting in the garden, there was a huge hole in his chest. Other times, he was whole, sitting like a king. He moved gracefully, predatorily, like he knew how dangerous he was. Kol could feel the power in him (unsurprising; the man was an alpha werewolf, after all).

They’d never interacted with him. As though she wasn’t avoiding him, too, Rebekah accused them of being too scared too -- Freya disagreed.

“That Stefan guy is a shared entity, let’s call him, while Ansel is not. What we know of Ansel is what Niklaus has told us of him. He isn’t ours. If we talk to him, it’ll be like breaking a trust, breaching privacy. You know?”

Elijah sure did know. “Yes, exactly what I was thinking,” he said, adjusting his clothes. Elijah seemed nervous, like he always did now, anxious. Like he was cornered. His voice let none of that on; Kol was almost proud of him.

Rebekah huffed, pouted. “It’s not like Nik has ever cared for  _ our  _ boundaries before. Why should we now?”

Usually, Kol would agree with her. That’s why Nik had never had an art journal Kol hadn’t laid eyes in, why Nik could hide that little Caroline girl but could never truly  _ hide  _ her. Could never hide the love he had for her in every rendition of his future queen. Every curve, every line, told Kol more about Nik than words ever had. It piqued his interest, this openness, this vulnerability his brother had.

So yeah, Kol knew all about her -- honestly, he was waiting for her to show up and cause Elijah to positively  _ strain himself _ trying to get her to save Nik. It sounded like something she’d do, from what he’d heard of her.

It was because of that that he went against his usual actions. He felt that Ansel was Off Limits, in a way that Caroline wasn’t. Nik wasn’t happy that his art was being peeped on, but he wasn’t stopping it. If Nik knew that they spoke to Ansel, he wouldn’t be  _ not happy _ , he’d be enraged.

So, Kol said, irritated at his sister and at himself for being so mushy, “because this is very different from our little dalliances. This is his  _ father _ . The one he was never allowed to know. This is the one person we  _ cannot  _ talk to. Under any circumstances.”

Elijah nodded proudly. “Kol’s right, sister. This is different. It would be the ultimate breach of privacy -- he would surely dagger us for centuries.” He quirked an eyebrow, playful even though his tone was anything but.

Rebekah glared. Elijah’s word was law, so that’s all she did. There was no lip from her, not today. Thank god.

And so, Ansel was not spoken to. But they listened when he talked, when he spoke of his wife and of his pack. They heard his fables, his tales, his myths. They watched as he turned, painlessly, and vanished.

But they never spoke to him. Kol would be sure Nik knew they didn’t go there.

He would also let Nik know that Caroline was an absolute delight. She was one of the few visitors they did interact with.

The first time, she was wearing pajamas, lying on the couch. A bloody wound was on her neck, distinctly werewolf.

“Oh, I heard about this,” Rebekah said, leaning over for a look.

Kol nodded, “yeah, me too. He saved her life and practically fell in love with her.”

“Fell in love? Our Niklaus, in love?” Elijah asked, sweeping over. He laid eyes on Caroline, her eyes closed but still looking beautiful. Kol could see exactly what Nik saw in her.

“Who’s in love?” Freya asked from the kitchen.

“Niklaus, apparently,” Elijah said.

Freya’s head popped out, saw Caroline, and raised an eyebrow. “Her?”

“He saved her life after having a wolf bite her, somehow bonded with her, and I’m pretty sure they’ve had sex. He’s completely infatuated. And to wonder why he’s so utterly uninterested in Hayley and Cami…,” Kol explained with a little laugh. Admittedly, he didn’t know much of their story. But the drawings he’d seen told him a lot about their relationship -- Nik was pining hard.

“Who is she?”

“A girl he met in Mystic Falls. A baby vampire. She’s got astonishing control,” Kol offered, having never really met her.

“He’s in love with her, a baby vampire with great control?” Freya asked, a little confused. Yeah, same. The idea of Nik in love was an odd one. She shared a look with Elijah, who looked like a man entertaining the possibilities.

“Yes,” Rebekah said, a little testily, “her.”

Then she leaned over the back of the couch, and poked Caroline in the ribs.

Caroline hissed, eyes flying open in anger. She was vamped out, lunging at Rebekah (and Kol, who stood next to her) as quick as a flash.

“Rebekah,” she growled, going straight for the vugular. Elijah reached for her, but couldn’t get to her before she landed on their sister.

Kol pushed her away, gently and mindful of her injury, or maybe more mindful of Klaus hearing about him hurting dear Caroline.

“Calm down!”

Caroline deflated at his shout, sinking onto the couch. Her movement suddenly turned wispy, far removed from the anger and power just seconds before. A hand raised to her neck, hiding the bite from them.

She groaned, then vanished.

Rebekah panted and ranted for hours, scaring the elusive ghost of Henrik.

When Caroline showed up the next day, Rebekah made herself scarce. The girl seemed to hold no ill will, didn’t seem to remember what happened. His younger sister never interacted with her again, though. Not even when Caroline was in an episode of one-sided flirting, Ansel watching from the staircase.

Kol thought it was cute. When Freya and Elijah talked to her, she was sassy, beautiful, and so clever. This was what his brother saw, when he looked at her. Nik saw Stefan as a monster, Ansel as a hero, Henrik as a friend, and Caroline as his queen.

And Kol was lucky enough to see it all in between bouts of farm work (ugh, don’t remind him).


End file.
